Finally: The Truth About How Often You Should Check Your Credit Report

To be smart about your money, you have to look under the hood once in a while.

That’s why we’re always talking about checking your credit report and credit score. They affect pretty much everything you do with money — buy a house, rent a car, rent an apartment, open a credit card — everything.

Staying on top of your finances means staying on top of your credit report.

That used to mean requesting that free credit report from the major agencies every 12 months.

Then it meant maybe signing up for a credit card that offered your free FICO score periodically.

Now, with apps like Credit Sesame, you can check your credit score — and see what’s in your report — as often as you want.

But… how often should you?

How Often Should You Check Your Credit Report?

John Ulzheimer, an expert on credit reporting and theft, recently told Forbes the “new normal should be that you’re checking [your credit report] every four weeks.”

“It’s simply too important to turn your back on it for an extended period of time,” Ulzheimer said. “FICO and VantageScores are so influential to our collective bottom lines that we should always have our hands on the pulse of our credit scores.”

Forbes points out this “new normal” has come about because of how easy it’s become to check your credit for free.

Now, onto that rattling sound you hear every time you turn the car to the right…

Dana Sitar (dana@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer/newsletter editor at The Penny Hoarder. Say hi and tell her a good joke on Twitter @danasitar.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.